A FEDERAL judge on Friday granted Harvard a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration’s withdrawal of its ability to enrol international students but did not address President Donald Trump’s entry ban on holders of Harvard-sponsored visas.
The Harvard Crimson cited that the preliminary injunction will prevent the federal government’s May 22 revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification until United States District Judge Allison D. Burroughs reaches a decision in the University’s lawsuit.
Burroughs also directed the federal government to issue guidance to consular and customs officers to disregard the revocation and document its compliance in the next 72 hours.
But she declined to include several provisions that Harvard asked for in its proposed language for the injunction.
She did not block the government from imposing a “categorical restriction” on Harvard’s ability to host students, instructors, and researchers on F and J visas, which would have stopped Trump’s June 4 entry ban. A temporary restraining order blocking the entry ban remains in effect until Monday.
And she did not impose a 30-day pause on the Trump administration’s second attempt to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification. That effort, which began on May 28, could take effect as soon as Wednesday.
Still, the injunction “allows Harvard to continue enrolling international students and scholars while the case moves forward,” a University spokesperson wrote. In a message to current international students after Burroughs’ order, the Harvard International Office wrote that Harvard “strongly opposes any effort to withdraw the University’s certification.”
Regarding Trump’s June 4 proclamation, the HIO wrote that “we expect the judge to issue a more enduring decision in the coming days.”
Burroughs also did not ask the Trump administration to provide a copy of the guidance it issues to consulates, embassies, and ports of entry — another provision that Harvard had requested in its draft injunction, citing a need to reassure international students and prove the government was obeying the court.
International students have already faced obstacles at consulates, embassies, and airports after federal officers followed outdated guidance or disregarded Burroughs’ orders.
Following Trump’s June 4 proclamation, the State Department told consular staff to deny visas to Harvard students before quickly rescinding the directive after Burroughs blocked the proclamation the next day. Both cables were only made public because they were leaked to the Washington Post — and at least two students found themselves denied papers despite Burroughs’ order.
“Given the government’s pattern of behavior thus far and the chaos it has inflicted, this surety is more than warranted,” Harvard wrote.
The injunction, instead, requires the government to file a “status report” detailing its compliance with the order within three days.
The clash between Harvard and the federal agencies named in the lawsuit — including the State Department, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security — began when the DHS asked Harvard to turn over extensive records on international students, including their participation in protests.
Harvard partially complied, saying it turned in all the documents required by law, but the DHS deemed the response insufficient and revoked Harvard’s SEVP status on May 22. Harvard sued the next day, and Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order within hours.
On May 28, the DHS made an apparent attempt to head off Harvard’s arguments that the revocation, which took effect immediately and gave the University no chance to appeal, violated procedural requirements. This time, the agency gave Harvard 30 days’ notice that it intended to revoke the University’s SEVP status.
Now that Burroughs has declined Harvard’s request to reset the ticking clock, the University will likely need to wait until the revocation takes effect at the end of June in order to ask for a second block. - June 21, 2025
